OVERVIEWEdifier has been making audio products since the 90’s and their aim remains the same now as it was then: “Taking pride in exceptional design and quality yet remaining affordable for listeners from around the world.” With the introduction of the P293, a design-forward and exercise friendly IEM, they achieve these goals and bring to the market a uniquely sleek and stylish in-ear.

AESTHETICSThe accessories are complete with small/medium/large tips, cable cinch, shirt clip, carrying pouch, and an extra 3.5mm adapter. I gotta say that the accessories are very well thought out especially the adapter and the low profile pouch. A ton of the IEMs I review have a large carrying case that cannot fit easily into a pants pocket, but this case is sleek enough to tuck away. The only thing I would change is elongate the shirt clip so the alligator jaws extend to twice as long. This gives the clip an easier time attaching to clothes while retaining the cable.

Aesthetically the P293 is simple with a stylish silver backplate on each earcup. Edifier offers three color choices for the IEM including a cool-looking green. The cable is strain relieved at the jack plug and earpieces which is huge when you plow through IEMs like snowballs in a snowfight. The cable and mic feel cheap, but avoid tangling. The cable is long enough to tuck a portable player in a pocket and still run the cable under a shirt or behind your back. The addition of the adapter, which goes unexplained, prevents the cable from breaking as the adapter beefs up the connection between the IEM and a portable device. Hopefully this prevents a snag from ruining your IEM cable. It also gives you another mini cable for a line-out if you need it.

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The driver nozzles are angled making it more comfortable than a direct nozzle approach. The tips can be easily swapped out with no trouble or worry.One minor issue I had is the nozzle is so short that the very large driver housing pressed against the inside of the Tragus. This is one of the biggest problems with just about every IEM I have tested so it is not unusual, but wearing an IEM for hours should be comfortable. The pressure here is not so great that it is unbearable, but it does cause my ears to fatigue after an hour or so leading me to adjust the angle alleviating the pressure.

ACOUSTICSFrom the front of the package I was worried that the phrase “MEGABASS” would place the P293 into the unlistenable category. Luckily this IEM is not full of ridiculous bass and is quite pleasant. For a 10mm dynamic driver the P293 delivers very clear bass, an up-front midrange, and treble extension not found it IEMs in this price point.

Unamped: Having a sensitivity of 106dB/mW makes the P293 very easy to drive and due to the 32 Ohm impedance there are no worries about current limiting. I stayed below 50% volume on my iPod touch.

The sound unamped is full and even from bass to treble with a hint of bass emphasis. The bass quality and treble extension are what caught my focus because the bass, although slightly emphasized, is very tight and well defined. Most IEMs that achieve this drop the treble or the bass simply covers it up. Not in the case of the P293 which extends the treble enough to appear accurate in the upper registries although with some tracks it did sound a tinny.

I found that during unamped listening, especially at loud listening levels where I evaluate headphones, the P293 became fatiguing due to the bass energy. This is in part because the IEM seals so well which is a plus for exercise, but take heed if you listen at loud volumes for longer than an hour! The unamped experience was a huge surprise and these might end up as my top recommendation due to price, performance, and quality.

Amped: Not every IEM sounds good amped with some sounding lean and others sounding too bassy. In most cases a bassy IEM will tighten up the bass during desktop amp evaluation and the P293 is no exception. The bass fatigue heard unamped is completely gone and the clarity on a whole kicks it up a notch becoming even more fun and engaging. I found myself grooving along with my music.

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When I participated in Big Sound 2015 I found Sade’s (pronounced Sha-day ) Smooth Operator track to be very useful in finding flaws in a headphone because is dynamic, has all the instruments that I use to test headphones in it, and should sound awesome with a hi-fi system. Many IEMs I test struggle to make this track engaging and do not replicate what the hi-end gear did to it during my session with Tyll. The P293 is the first IEM below $100 that I have heard that brings that experience back although the treble is bright on some tracks so if you are sensitive to bright headphones that be warned.

The P293 also comes with an in-line mic so it can be used for remote conversing. The mic, although feeling cheaply made, is actually very good. It is placed perfectly and picks up voice tremendously well delivering an up-front sound that allows the person on the other end to easily hear you speak. The mic is one of the best I have found in an IEM so if you want something for chatting on the phone or conference calls rest assured the P293 has you covered.

CONCLUSIONNot many affordable IEMs get my attention these days and the Edifier P293 brought some much needed energy back into my hi-fi tracks. It has a clean sound and remains well extended at both ends of the frequency response, but the brightness may be too much for some listeners. The accessories are complete and the cable should be durable enough to get a few years of use especially with the cable adapter in place. The only thing the Edifier needs to make it more listenable is to vent the sound through the tips avoiding the bass fatigue. If you are in the market for a wonderful IEM be it for general listening or exercise then the P293 is a great choice.

January 2016 UpdateAfter auditioning these at a local head-fi meet there general feedback is that these sounds good, but can be bright with some music. That was my finding as well so if you are at all sensitive to bright headphones perhaps stay away from the P293, but I really do enjoy the overall sound.

An unassuming IEM, with bold bass
Written by kamikaziH2Omln
Published Dec 13, 2015

3.5/5,

Pros - Tight Bass, Analytical, Scales Well, Good Inline Microphone

Cons - "Hollow" Midrange, "Drop Down" cable style

It’s been a while since I’ve done a review, so please bear with me, as I tell you a little bit about the Edifier P293 Sports IEM. I would like to thank Edifier for providing me a free sample in return for an honest review, which I will try my best to provide with few weeks I have had it.

Design
I was given the “candy green” variant of these IEMs, and boy are they bright. They run the typical “drop down” cord style. These IEMs have a unique, asymmetric design. The particular characteristic causes the inability to run the “around-ear” cord style that I am personally adjusted to, without reversing the sides of the earbuds. Although I see why they took the route of “drop down” cord style with its popularity with the populace, I still somehow dislike the style. It may be due to the downwards pull that these seem to give, which other IEMs of similar style circumvent, due to spreading out the weight over the ear with the “around-ear” design. It is to be mentioned that this does have a flat cable, but that doesn’t do much for me personally, although from practice, cable tangle is lessened.

3/5 Design (I wanted to like them, but there were a couple of misses that do bother me)
3/5 Cable Design (For an IEM that is this large, around-ear may have been a good idea. Flat cable may entertain some, but I’m indifferent about it.)
5/5 Style (They said they are “flashy”. Well, they’re right. It is to be mentioned that the silver backs are subtly shiny; a good touch)

Construction
These IEMs are constructed from what feels like a very durable plastic. If I dropped these, I wouldn’t be concerned of breaking them. The connections that connect both the 3.5mm connector and the cord to the IEMs themselves seem well reinforced, so I expect them to have a fairly long life. If any of this changes, expect a revision of this review!

4/5 Cable Reinforcement (I’m fairly impressed by the reinforcement of the cable, but I dislike the almost “flimsy” feel of the flat cable.)
4/5 IEM Housing (Very sturdy, strong enclosure however, the plastic isn’t something special to write home about.)

Comfort and Fit
So, as mentioned above, there were a couple nitpicky things that I had against the design of the IEMs, particularly the design choice against wrapping the ear. However, the comfort of the IEM itself isn’t bad. In terms of weight, it drops itself comfortably between an acrylic CIEM and a generic metal earbud. I had used them on multiple particularly long listening sessions to test ear fatigue and there is slight ear fatigue. It is to be noted however, that this can be due to a multitude of factors which I have experimented with.

1) Ear tip chosen.
a. These IEMs have deeper insertion than usual. Take extra care on size chosen, and investigate different sizes. Some ear fatigue I faced was actually due to taking a size too small. Choosing a size up alleviated some fatigue.
2) Wire tension
a. The wire clip included can help relieve wire stress, which can reduce some of the downwards force that is present with the “drop down” style of the wire.

As much as I harass Edifier about the wire choice, I do have to hand them their ability to nail down the insertion. The insertion of the P293 impressed me, and is often something that I have seen improperly done at this price range. It is well known that a good seal is essential for optimal audio quality, and this IEM does a good job at addressing this. In fact, I was able to get a good seal from multiple different sizes of ear tips (medium and large) although choosing the medium tip did cause more ear fatigue than its larger counterpart. In addition, the solid insertion does a fair job at passive noise cancellation as well!

Ear Fatigue 3/5 (It’s not something particularly surprising to see at this price point, but any fatigue can be detracting)
Insertion 5/5 (I was very impressed for the insertion of the earbud. Something that I can often struggle with other ones)

Application
Edifier does technically market this as an IEM suitable for “fitness and workout” so I tested out them in a couple situations to see how well these guys held up. I tested mostly to see how different activities impacted the earbuds ability to stay put in the ear.

For many exercise activities with repetitive, non-major motions, such as running or indoor cycling, these guys faired very well, and adjustment was minimal. The included clip reduced the cable from going everywhere as well in action. However, in more rigorous activities, such as yard work, the “drop down” style haunts us yet again. With the full body motions, it is fairly common that the cable will loosen and tighten, ripping the earbud out. Experimentation has shown that tightening the cable reduced the occurrence of this, and rendered similar results casually and on the go.

Application 4/5 (For the most part, the P293 fared well, but failed at the more rigorous tasks.)

Sound
It’s funny how far a little bit of break in can do for an IEM. Initially, sound wasn’t something I was going to write off as something terribly significant until I got more familiar with it. Head-fi user Army-Firedawg mentioned in his review of this IEM that “The ‘V-Shape’ is very prominent in the P293, even more so than [Edifiers] H850”, and he was dead correct. However, I disagree with the statement that the soundstage is on par with others in the price range, as I believe that these do exceed the majority of the price point competition. However, this statement is subjective to the preferred sound signature of the end user.

Bass
· Tight, deep, and hard hitting. The bass is by far my favorite part of these IEMs, as they provide a strong, sophisticated sound which go toe-to-toe with many IEMs way out of price range. To best describe them, they are accented and provide a forward, dynamic, non-bloated/“lazy” bass signature. To quote Army-Firedawg a second time “I find myself always bobbing my head and enjoying the bass hit the P293 gave me.” These provide pure and utter bliss for genres such as Hard Rock, Electro Dance Music, and other genres demanding a strong lower frequency.

Mid-range
· I personally am a huge fan of a “V-Shaped” sound signature, but I would be silly not to acknowledge the importance that the midrange contributes to a piece. Unfortunately, Edifier didn’t acknowledge its importance enough. Although the midrange did fill in a lot more since initial listen (with burn-in), it still has a “hollow” feeling to it, which can be a turn off to those who really love it.

Treble
· If someone could draw a line to represent successful treble playback for these IEMs, it would be drawn firmly at the 75% mark. At the higher registers, the treble becomes uncharacteristic of the original sound, and can sometimes be a burden to listen to. I find this to be problematic when listening to genres such as Poptronica, Pop, and even some cases, Classical.

Other major characteristics of this IEM to be noted would be its surprisingly analytical nature. In addition, the soundstage is larger than you would expect for the price point after burn-in. Finally, these IEMs scale well with good equipment. I paired this up with both a Fiio E07K and an Objective 2 Amplifier, and was pleasantly surprised by the performance boost!

Bass 5/5 (By far my favorite part of the IEM itself. Punchy, non-bloated)
Midrange 2.5/5 (Weak and noticeable gap in the sound signature.)
Treble 4/5 (Close, but when the treble gets too overbearing, it can be detracting)

The Extras
These IEMs came with a few extra accessories, and it wouldn’t be fair to exclude them in this review. That being said, it came with a leather pouch, a 3.5 mm male to female extension, cord clip, 3 pair of ear tips, and an inline microphone with control.

The leather pouch is wonderfully beautiful but I often have a hard time using it, as a sleeve is difficult to utilize with IEMs of this shape and size. I resorted to using a hard case I had laying around for regular use.

The extension is 5.5 inches (about 14 cm) and interestingly, worked with every single headphone and IEM I had ranging from the AKG 7xx to the Heir Audio 3.ai but didn’t work for the Edifier P293. I actually couldn’t figure out why this was, and made a deduction based on the design of the plug of the P293 itself.

Cord clip was mentioned a little earlier, and although I don’t always use it, I always keep it on hand with the P293. They can be critically important in reducing cable noise in certain situations, since the “drop down” cable style can introduce that problem.

The amount of ear tips Edifier provides is actually lower than what I usually see at price point (usually anywhere from 5-9 different sets). However, I was able to find two of the three actually fit reasonably well, but I wish to have seen more sizes and types.

The inline controls and mic worked flawlessly. I never had a hardware related issue with it. It was also brought to my attention that I had good clarity when using the inline microphone.

Leather Pouch 4/5 (Pretty, but not practical)
Extension 4.5/5 (Sturdy construction, worked with everything but what it shipped with)
Cord Clip 4/5 (Sometimes fitting it on the wire is cumbersome)
Ear Tips 3/5 (I found ones that worked, but diversity wouldn’t hurt)
Inline Controls 5/5 (Worked every time, microphone is of good quality)

Overall

Design 3/5
I really, really wanted to like them. They are flashy enough to look good without looking cheap, but the cable design personally bothered me. Your mileage will vary.

Construction 4/5
Sturdily built. Flat cable isn’t my favorite, but it does help mitigate tangling. I am concerned for the life of the cable that isn’t reinforced.

Comfort and Fit 3.5/5
I wanted to like them more, but sometimes I would imagine how it could potentially be easier to wear with an “over ear” cable. However, ease and depth of insertion of the IEM is a pleasant feature.

Application 4/5
Served its purpose for most activities. Only notable failure was in actions which the entire body was involved.

Sound 4/5
It’s hard to give a rating for sound. However, the failures of the midrange as well as some parts of the treble can be forgiven from other aspects of the IEM. Extra brownie points were given for how analytical it can be, the soundstage, and decent scaling.However, it would be unreasonable to overlook the few flaws this has.

Extras 3.5/5
Some of the extras were really nice (note: the leather pouch), but my biggest stipulation was the lack of ear tip diversity.

I think these IEMs are great, but they can be situationally niche. The particular highlights of this IEM will appeal to many people, especially those who are willing to dismiss mid-range, and some treble for “a good time”. Its “V-Shaped” sound signature definitely characterizes this crowd. That being said, this IEM isn’t without its flaws, but still remains a good contender for the piece point.

Strong contender for those looking in the $50 range
Written by Army-Firedawg
Published Nov 27, 2015

3.0/5,

Pros - Well built, great mic, tangle free cable

Cons - Extremely V shaped sound

Yet again I find myself having to give a major thanks to Edifier and their team for selecting me to be a reviewer for them and for sending me a product in exchange for my honest review. So without further adieu let’s dive into their flagship I.E.M.

The Opening Experience

The initial handshake was at first quite nice. The box is advertised with very minimal jargon on the box as is it keeping itself very minimalized. Upon opening the box everything else just seemed normal. Nothing was really that extravagant nor was it distasteful and limp. A plus side though is these do come with a respectably nice carrying pouch.

Construction

Solid. I’ve no concern whatsoever about the durability of this product. The horn’s are angled, the cable is flat yet strong and the monitors themselves are built quite taught. So for the $40 range these are built very very well.

Comfort

Average. I personally didn’t have any issues with these in terms of them staying in my ear and being comfortable during longer listening durations. However about any IEM in this price range with an angled horn gives me the same amount of comfort. A downside though it the provided tips WOULD NOT stay in my ear at all, regardless of size tried. I am unfortunately out of my beloved Comply memory foam tips which led me to try, believe it or not, Klipsch tips. Yup the ones with the super small horn, stretched enough to fit over these and I was able to enjoy them from then on.

Sound

Upon playing your first track with the P293 one will immediately know these are geared towards the mainstream crowd. The “V shape” is very prominent in the P293 even more so than their H850 I previously reviewed. Also and this is most likely due to its price range but I notice that when I’m listening to a large collection of sounds (i.e. a large orchestra or even simpler a stadium of people clapping/applauding) the sounds really come in and out like it has no idea what to produce and what it can’t. It’s the first I can honestly say I think I know what a confused earphone sounds like.
The soundstage is on par with others within this price, BUT the positional cues IF on a small platform (i.e. not a lot of moving pieces) are rather impressive and give a nice sense of immersion, I even used these to game with comfortably. Also on that note the microphone on these is awesome. Not once did I have a complaint but the opposite in fact, I got complimented on the clarity a couple times. But let me dwell into the individual aspects of the sound a little more.

Treble

Superimposed to the point that it’s not realistic. I fully understand the desire to pull detail and give the mainstream crowd the “I heard things I’ve never heard before” experience but I feel this tried a little too hard. Now this is coming from someone who has a fairly decent understanding on what to listen for, the average listener I’m confident would rather enjoy this aspect. Also the treble does peek quickly but not before the note reaches a comfortable level. So those who’re hypersensitive to treble may really like these as well.

Mids

My personal favorite aspect of audio. The P293’s reproduction on the mids are, drastically recessed past the point of hollowness. I was heartbroken at the recession of the mids. BUT I have learned that for some reason the casual listener prefers that type of signature so I can’t fault Edifier too much for gearing their prices and sound towards that crowd. But mmmm doesn’t make the rain cloud over my head go away.

Bass

Punchy, potent and deep. While listening to “The Pride” or “Lift Me Up” by Five Finger Death Punch or “Hail To The King” by Avenged Sevenfold, I find myself always bobbing my head and enjoying the bass hit the P293 gave me. Yes they’re a bit more than what I personally go for but they fit the overall signature of these really well. If your forte is hard rock to metal then you should seriously try these.

Conclusion

To sum, the Edifier P293 is an IEM that competes with any IEM at the $50 price point. They’re built very well and though the sound to me sounded average compared to others I still wouldn’t put these in the back shelves for these can really impress the average listener and can be a gateway IEM to bigger and better products.
Lastly on a side note these paired ridiculously well with my Aune X1s. Yes I initially plugged it in just as a “hmm let’s see” but dang, it scaled quite well.

Till next time my friends, but till then make sure you check out my Unboxing & Review videos!